


One Day at a Time

by kitausuret



Category: Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics), Guardians of the Galaxy (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Spider-Man (Comicverse), Venom (Comics)
Genre: Awesome Carol Danvers, Developing Friendships, Dialogue Heavy, Honesty, IN SPACE!, Memory Loss, Minor pining, Multi, POV Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Partnership, Reconciliation, References to Past and Future Storylines, References to Siege: Spider-Man, Underappreciated Venom Hosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 14:51:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18054611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitausuret/pseuds/kitausuret
Summary: As part of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Flash Thompson and the Venom symbiote often find themselves within a vast network of allies and enemies. Most of them had never known the symbiote before the two joined the team, but Carol Danvers - the mighty Captain Marvel - had a horrific encounter with the symbiote months before it ever knew who Flash Thompson was.But people can change. Years had passed since the Siege of Asgard and its time bonded to one of the most dangerous men it has ever known. The symbiote hopes it has changed, too.





	One Day at a Time

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write this story for a long, long, _long_ time. The "Siege" arc wasn't perfect and Mac Gargan is hardly my favourite Venom host, but I thought it was super interesting how Carol and the symbiote have actually been bonded before. It was only for a few minutes, but I imagine that a bond of any length can be impactful, to say the least. So, in honor of the Captain Marvel film coming out and just because Carol is awesome, have a little thing. 
> 
> The following takes place during the time between _Venom: Space Knight_ #6 and #7, and before Carol returned to Earth and got all mixed up in the Civil War II mess. Kitty is part of the team, and Peter Quill is back on Spartax being the most irresponsible president ever.

They had spoken about what Flash referred to as “reconciliation”.

It was about more than just issuing an apology, he’d said. Reconciliation was apologizing, admitting you were wrong, and then actively seeking out how to be better. Flash had told it that sometimes it was the most difficult part of moving forward but also the most important.

The difficulty of it, though, lay in that there was so much the symbiote couldn’t remember. It knew a bit, just what it had picked up from Flash’s memory, traces of the genetic memory that had once meant a flawless sense of remembrance. Events sometimes leaked through. Sometimes it could recall faces or events but might not have a name to attach to the individual. The Hive had thought to spare it the pain of those memories, but Flash had on more than one occasion expressed frustration about that decision. _How are you supposed to ever be better if you don’t even know where you’ve come from?_ It was odd, perhaps, that such a fine host would worry so much about those whom had come before him. Though it occurred to the symbiote on more than one occasion that Flash tended to not care so much what others thought of him.

For all it had forgotten, however, it found that it always remembered a host.

They had met Carol Danvers, holder of the Captain Marvel title, shortly after the cleansing. The symbiote noticed the way she looked at it, even a little more warily than the others. She held respect for its host, if not so much for itself. Bit by bit, the symbiote learned why. It had taken her for a host, albeit briefly, but against her will. It felt like looking back at the life of a stranger. Who had it been? Who had _Venom_ been? How many others had it hurt?

If it was going to reconcile, it would begin with Carol Danvers.

\-----

The _C.I.T.T._ was a small ship. Much of the crew was off on side missions or taking care of personal matters this evening, and while most of the Guardians had been rather dismissive of them, Flash still respected and enjoyed their company. Its host had fallen asleep mere minutes after arriving back on the ship after a long day of pushing back an invasive force from a peaceful colony. Drax had busied himself with sharpening his blades, Kitty was in the middle of a long conversation with her fiance, and Carol near the controls on the bridge, keeping watch over their course.

The symbiote slunk away from the tiny quarters assigned to Flash and made its way to the console near the port bow. It lingered silently nearby, unsure of how to go about this. The _other_ ragtag crew they traveled with had become used to seeing the symbiote without a host, or even in a solid shape of its own. It preferred to be with its partner, but also sought to practice its newfound abilities.

But how would the esteemed Captain Marvel respond?

It maneuvered in front of the chair she sat in and lifted a tendril in a hopefully non-threatening gesture.

She glanced up, then down, and then sharply up again with a start. “Shit-!” She scrambled to her feet, eyes wide with alarm, and the symbiote immediately shrank back. “Why aren’t you - where is Flash?”

It formed a head and mouth, wary of showing too many teeth. “He is sleeping.”

“He’s-” She froze. “You don’t have a host. How are you speaking?”

The symbiote moved carefully. It concentrated its mass into semi-solid shapes, approximating a sort of bipedal frame, smaller than its usual bulk it always sensed Flash had an appreciation for. The shape it took around its host, it now focused on making its own. Humanoids, it found, sometimes found comfort in familiarity. Perhaps this would quell some of Captain Marvel’s fears. Still, it lingered near the console and did not step closer.

“With my partner’s help, I have grown. I have learned. I have forgotten much, but retain some memories.”

She shifted, uncomfortable. “I take it you remember me, then?”

“I do.”

“How much?”

“Enough.” The symbiote felt a shudder course through its body. “Flash tells me it is good to... reconcile. I wronged you, Captain Marvel. I shamed myself and I shamed the bond.”

Her lips twitched into a frown and she tightened her grip on the back of her chair. “Pretty words, Venom. Straight out of a self-help guide.” She leaned forward but moved no closer. “I heard all about your little trip back home. But I also know you took over the whole crew to get there. You’re dangerous, and the only reason I don’t throw you out of an airlock is because Flash would probably kill me if I did.”

 _I doubt he would be able to,_ it almost said, but then remembered how determined Flash could be. How much strength he could summon when he needed to protect someone. It wondered if Flash would fight even an ally to protect his partner; to protect _Venom_.

 _Venom_ was the name Flash had started using for the symbiote in the wake of a recent conversation they’d had. It didn’t have a name of its own, not one that would make sense, in any case. It had been called many things by many people, but ultimately it was a culmination of all its hosts and all its life experiences. _Venom_ encompassed both _they_ and _it_. Thus, Captain Marvel, too, was part of the _they_ that had shaped Venom into who it was today. And that was all the more reason to make peace with her.

The symbiote shrank further into itself, silent for a long moment before it spoke again. “Do you believe people can change, Captain Marvel?”

“Of course. I’ve changed. All the Guardians have changed. Everyone on this ship has changed. But I’ve yet to see that in you.”

“What of all the lives we have saved?”

“Lives _Flash_ has saved,” she corrected. “Look, I get it, he has darkness in his past. So do I. He and I are both vets and we know what it’s like to make life and death decisions. It’s dirty. Sometimes it’s horrible. The progress he’s told me about that he’s made - it took _years_. Sorry if I don’t buy that you can be magically cleansed of your parasitism.”

“I have been given a chance to be better. Flash Thompson _gave_ me that chance. Please, Captain, would you hear me?”

She scoffed and turned to walk away.

“I am trying to follow his example.” The symbiote lowered its voice. “Please.”

Captain Marvel tilted her head back and heaved a sigh. When she faced Venom again, it recognized the spark of power that shone behind her eyes. “You know what? You’re right, I won’t ever forget that day.” She stormed over, her fists clenching so tight they turned white. Energy lit her like a star, and the symbiote moved as far away as it could without totally abandoning its shape. “You took my pain, you took my life experiences and you _used them against me_. You’re not the first to do that, but I had to throw myself against a live electrical wire _just to make you leave_.” Her jaw trembled with barely-repressed anger, and for a moment, it was like looking at Flash, or looking at itself.

Or looking at another, whom it did not yet know much of...

She took a breath and the glow faded. Captain Marvel collapsed back into her chair. She seemed calmer but the symbiote didn’t dare move.

“What happened between us is done. It’s in the past. Flash and I work together, and by proxy, that means I have to work with you, too.” She combed her bangs away from her eyes and pinned the symbiote with a stare. “But if you ever, _ever_ hurt Flash like you hurt me, I will incinerate you. I won’t care how much Flash begs or pleads because if that happens, I’ll know you’ve manipulated him like you tried to manipulate me. Understood?”

Even without being connected, it knew she spoke truthfully. The symbiote gave a curt nod and started to lose shape.

“...Venom, wait.”

It stopped and reformed, looking at her curiously.

“I know you were stuck with Mac Gargan during that time. Well, maybe not _stuck_ , but...” Captain Marvel shrugged. “The way you did it was shitty, but I can’t blame you for wanting to ditch him for me.”

“Your Kree blood - it reminded me of someone I once knew and drew me to you.”

“No kidding?”

“I do not speak of him. He had a powerful and lasting influence on me; manipulated me into doing his bidding. He was the first to use me as a weapon, and created the part of me I have been trying to abandon since Flash brought me home.”

She gazed at the symbiote thoughtfully. “The Kree have a checkered past, but I guess that’s the same as any of us.” The warrior crossed a leg over her knee. “How long ago was that?”

“Well over a century, by Earth calculations.”

“I’ll be damned. Well, you ever run into him again and he gives you and Flash trouble, you give me a call. I’m not much of a dignitary but I can punch stuff real well.”

“I daresay that, on his own, he was not as impressive as you.”

“Flatterer,” she said with a gentle laugh. “I _can_ fly, though. And I’ve gotta say, it’s pretty damn cool.”

Venom glanced towards the quarters it shared with Flash. “Flash and I cannot manage that, though I confess it would be interesting to experience flight again.” It tilted its head. “Perhaps one day, I will be able to form wings.”

“Yeah? Like a dragon? I’ve got an old friend that can turn into a dragon. Maybe you’d learn a thing or two from her.”

“Those you call ‘friend’ are powerful and heroic people, Captain. My partner and I would be honored to meet any of them.”

“Hmm.” She smiled, just a little. “You say ‘partner’, instead of ‘host’.”

“Flash agreed to the term when we became able to communicate better. It was the first title he used for me when we were initially bonded.”

“Huh. Guess you learn something new about people every day.” Captain Marvel stood and stretched just as the symbiote was about to inquire what she meant by that. “I don’t trust you, Venom, not yet. And I’ll be watching you and Flash like a hawk. But I respect you for facing me.”

“And I thank you for listening, Captain Marvel. I hope to earn your trust and perhaps even your forgiveness someday.”

“Come on, Venom; we’ve shared a body. I’m pretty sure that puts us on a non-aliases basis. Call me Carol Danvers.”

The symbiote bared its teeth in a smile. “Carol, then. Good night.” And with that, it dissolved its form and slid across the floor back to Flash. It felt better, somehow, to have all the truth out in the open.

\-----

Venom’s partner stirred when the symbiote returned and slipped under the blanket. Flash’s skin was warm and so the symbiote adjusted so as to not wake him with sudden chill. It spread languidly across his bare skin, content to relax and feel his breathing. It sank parts of itself in, connecting them both in mind and body.

“Mm... hey, pal.” Flash grinned, and affection flowed through their bond, encouraging Venom to wrap gently around his wrist and palm. “Take a midnight stroll?”

 _“I do not stroll,”_ it answered, amused.

“You know what I mean.” He stroked his fingers gently through the symbiote’s biomass. “I can tell something’s different. Something was bothering you, and now it’s not.”

Flash wasn’t often the most observant individual, but he was perceptive and had good instincts. They had been learning and growing more and more together, their bond strengthened by communication as much as it was by following the call of the Cosmos. The symbiote sensed that in the past, it had not always been honest with its hosts... but with Flash, it sought to change that, even if the truth frightened it.

_“What you said, Flash, about ‘reconciliation’... I decided I would attempt it.”_

“Hm? With someone on the ship?”

_“Yes. Carol Danvers, the esteemed Captain Marvel.”_

Flash snorted in laughter. “‘Esteemed’, huh? She’s pretty cool, I’ll give you that much.” He gazed at the symbiote in a way that made it feel valued and appreciated. The fleeting thought occurred that maybe one other individual had gazed at Venom in such a way, but as soon as it was there, it vanished into the fog of the Hive-repressed memories. Flash’s voice brought the symbiote back. “Whatever happened between you two, I’m proud of you. I know that was difficult.”

White eyespots appeared on its mass and it met Flash’s eyes. _“I believe, if I am able, I would like to do this again. I know I have hurt others, and that I have dishonored the bond in other ways. But as I remember events, I wish to further reconcile.”_

“That’s a great idea, V. And I’ll be with you every step of the way, all right? That’s what you do when you...” He trailed off, and Venom felt the man’s heartbeat pick up momentarily. “...when you’re someone’s partner. You did good, though.” Flash closed his eyes and settled back on the pillow, already starting to fall asleep again.

_“Thank you, Flash.”_

No words, but a burst of affection instead as Flash subconsciously stroked the symbiote’s mass. He drifted off into sleep, and Venom settled in as well.

Always moving forward, one day at a time.


End file.
